From “In the Beginning” to Amen // A Life Shaped by Humility
Will I obey God when God's answer agrees with me?
Will I obey God when His answer is different from what I wanted?
Nebuchadnezzar Humbled
Daniel 4:24-37 (NLT)
“This is what the dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to my lord the king. You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules. King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper. But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor. While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws. After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, what do you mean by doing these things? When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”
Proverbs 16:18 (NLT)
“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”
Proverbs 3:34 (NIV)
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
James 4:10 (NIV)
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
What does humility look like?
1. Recognize That God is God and Worship Him Alone
2. Don’t Be Self-Important and Puffed Up or A Know It All
3. Don’t Elevate Yourself Above Others
Luke 14:7 (NLT)
“When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
4. Recognize Even Your Skills and Abilities are A Gift from God
Deuteronomy 8:10-18 (NIV)
“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, [your deliverer and your provider] who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth and to prosper.”
5. Make Decisions and Take Actions to Affirm These Truths
Actions:
· Worship… Acknowledge God as First and Foremost and Put That into Practice
· Seek God - Pray and Obey
· Give Honor Where Honor Is Due and Look for Opportunities to Affirm Others
Romans 13:7-8 (NIV)
“Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
· Put God First with Your Talents and Your Finances
A Life Shaped by Humility Is Not a Life Where We Just Think Less of Ourselves. It Is a Life Where We Think Rightly About God
We Don't Have to Wait for God to Humble Us.
Remember The Lord Your God, For It Is He Who Gives You the Ability…
Humility Isn't Merely a Principle God Commands
Where Is God Asking Me to Humble Myself?
